Senile macular degeneration is a poorly characterized disease state of the elderly which appears to result from a poor blood supply to the macular region of the eye. As a result, vision is lost in the central region of the eye while partial peripheral vision is retained. The disease progresses with increased vision loss, one eye at a time. Until the present invention, there was no known treatment of the disease or its symptoms although vasodilators and antihypercholesterolemics have been tried without success.
Experience with ACE inhibitors as antihypertensive agents has shown a tendency for them to accumulate in the eye resulting in unexpectedly high concentrations in ocular tissue [Igic et al., Exp. Eye Res. 30, 299 (1980)]. These high concentrations result in selective ocular vasodilation thereby increasing local blood flow to the otherwise ischemic tissue thus preventing damage to the eye.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a novel method of treating senile macular degeneration by the administration of an ACE inhibitor.
It is a further object of this invention to provide pharmaceutical formulations comprising an ACE inhibitor as an active ingredient for use in the novel method of treatment.